Motor-vehicle frame.



0. E. BARTHEL. MOTOR VEHICLE FRAME. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1914.

PaJ tented Apr. 1,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI 0. EIIBA-R IHEL. moms VEHICLE FRAME. APPLICATION FILED SEPLZS. l9.

1 Patented Apr. 1,1919. I

2 SHEETS-SHEE'I' 2..

. TES" rnrrnnr "curios. I

.oLrvEn n. B AIt'I HEL, or nnraorr, Element.

uo ron-vnnrctn rnmn Application filed September 23, 1914. Serial No. 863,072.

'- To all, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Omvnn E. 'BAliT-HEL,

a citizen of the United States of Americas.

residing at Detroit, in the countyof Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented con train new and useful Improvements-in Motor-Vehicle Frames, of which the following. is a specification, reference beinghad. therein to the accompanying drawings. I y

In order to provide the necessary clearance to permit the front supporting wheels of a motor vehicle to turn and also givethe desired width of frame for the rear end of the body, it has been the common practice to form an offset or bend in each side channelmember of motor vehicle frames interfiitdiate its ends and as this bend comesat' the plane of greatest strain, it has been alon found necessary to strengthen the members the bend or oflset by increasing the -widt of the web or flanges of the channel iron or otherwise reinforcing it. Special tools and machinery are necessary to bend or ofiset the frame members in the manner and the liability of imperfections occurring in the manufacture. is increased and weight added b the necessary reinforcement.

' The 0 ject of the invention is to so construct and arrange the side frame members that the propelling or driving thrust of the traction wheels of the motor vehicle will be applied, in' the direction of their 1 entire length and the necessary clearance between. the frame and front Wheels will be secured and a frame having any desired width at its rear end provided without' the necessity for bending or offsettingsaid members lat-f orally of the frame, thus obviating the necessity for reinforcing said-members and providing. a very light, strong and rigid construction which is cheap to manufacture.

A further object is to further lighten and cheapen the frame structure by obviating the necessity for spring hangers and to provide certain other. new and useful features in the construction and arrangement of parts. a I

To these ends the invention consists in I vthe mattershereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended panying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of'a motor vehicle frame embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same;

.stantially upon the line III-IIIbf Fig. 1; Fig. 1 is a transverse section througha front cross member of the frame, upon the line IVIV of Fig. 3; and- Fig. 5 is a plan view of one end of said cross member attached. 2.

The front axle 1, tached guiding wheels '2, the rear axle 3, the motor 4 with shaft 5 for transmitting motion from the motor to the rear axle, the

torque member '6 pivotally connected to, the

side members of a chassis frame and the vehicle body 7 and radiator 8 mountedv on said frame, ,are all indicated in dotted lines in' the accompanying drawing asthey, specifictlly-formno partof the invention and may be of any" suitable form, construction or design. i

.The chassis frame-embodying this invention comprises longitudinally exste ding side channel members or bars 0 whic are tied together by means of cross members 11 and 12 near the front-and roar ehdsrespectively of said side members, and an intermediate cross member l3,'the members 12 and 13 bemg of any. suitable form and construction claims, reference beinghad to the hits divotallj atand riveted or otherwise rigidly secured at their ends to the side members 10. The members l0, in'plan'view are straight throughout their lengthwithout lateral bends orofisets'and are of substantially uniform width,

that is the upper flange '14 and the lower f flange 15 of each channel member 10, are of substantially equal and uniform width throughout the length of each memberjand the body or web 18 extends in a continuous longitudinal vertical plane. The cross members are of difi'erent length the front member 11 being the shortest and the rear member 12 the longest so that the side members 10.

position in plan view to form a frame which gradually tapers forwardly from. its rear end. The frame is thus made sufliciently are tied together in a forwardly convergent narrowat its forward end to permit the frontwheels 2 to;turn upon their pivotal connec- Y tion to the front axle in guiding the vehicle and is preferably of such, a, width at its rear 5 end to permit or jplacing"thesuppoi'ting usual':='1"nanner,' their ends being connected to the framemembersn any. su1t-" springs 17 dlrectly beneathsaid side members and securing them to the rear aide,

thus obviating thev necessity for providing laterally extending spring hangers. When these springs are of the three-quarter ellip able manner.

the to act jfre'ely, the side frame members-10' arefbent upwardly at a point bent in anyothermannergin their-vertical lightness and cheapness, the front cross member 11 is preferably. formed {from g piece of sheet metal with rectangular or plane,to conform to the-particular car con struction which they areembodied without departing from the spirit of-this invention. 1, v .Forthe purpose of strength, resiliency,

' box-like end portionsQO which are riveted or otherwise rigidly secured with the chair 7 nels'of the members-10 and these and portlons are connected by a depressed portion or bridge 21'which incross', section is in the form of an angle bar with-a forwardly extending flange 22 integral with the lower edge of the forward fiainge of the bridge, said flange 22 being widened at each end and extendedandproperly shaped to form angle platesor portions 23' to fill the angles" be; tween the frame members'an'd the'bridgeat; theforward side thereof. These angleplates are riveted to the lower flangeof the chairnel bars 1Q and thus form very strong corner braces. which prevent any relative longitue dinal movement' "ofKsaid"channelbars or cured thereto, being'of angle constrnction tracking ofthe frame. fflh'e bridge isQ-suits ably depressed and forn'ied. to provide a seat for theradiator 8 which isdotachahly se With the-integral angle plates. makes a very strong and light construction which will By nciag the he end of eachqmember l0rand the pivotally Inthebonstruction shown, the rear springs 17-are' clipped to the under side of the rear axle te positionthe body low downand at thesam tiiiiegive'the necessary road clear-' ance and in rder togive thenecessary clear- I ancefbetweenthe ,axle and frame to permit justforwardof the axle but it willbe under stood that these members may be straight or yield slightly under very heavy strain with out breaking or becoming permanently distorted.

parallelism as commonly arranged, the strength ofathe frame is increased without the necesslty for reinforcement and channel bars'of-lighter weight-may be used because the driving thrust is endwiseof the side members throughout their length, said members belng without lateral bends or ofl'sets. The frame maybe of'any desired width at I if side frame='.members 10 111' forwardlyconvergent relationinstead of 1n itsrear end without materiallylessening its strength, and the'rear 'springs'may therefore be'secured directly 'to the frame members and to the axle near the ends thereof to give 1 a wide support for the body, thus obviating the necess ty for, laterally projecting spring hangers and the unsightly arrangementiof springsoutside the vertical -plane of the 'hile the invention is shown as'embodi ed in an automobile construction, it is obvious thatit' may beused as the frame for any motor vehicleand changes may be made in ing from the'spiritof the invention and I f lar' construction shown.

Having thus fully described my invention 1. A frame formotor' vehicles comprising longitudinal side members and cross members connecting'the side members, said cross mem ber at the' forward end of the frame beingformed from a single piece of sheet metal with, a bridge portion secured 'at' 'its angle plates at the forward side of the bridge secured along one edge to the'side frame members and forming angle braces in the angles between the bridge and side members. a s

2. A frame formotor vchlcles comprising longitudinal side channel members and cross 'nembers connecting the side members, the ,cross memb'cr'sat the forward end ofyrhe framebeing formed from a single sheet of metal with end portions secured in the channels of the side members, a bridge portion the details of construction without depart-j do not therefore limit myself to the particu- I lends-to the side frame members andintegral connecting the'end portions, said bridge be,

ing depressed between the end portions to form a'seat for a radiator, and a forwardly extending flange integral with the bridge" andIhaving end portions secured at one edge to the channclside members to form angle plates'in the angles between the bridge and said members.v g i 3. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a'framehaving a pair of longitudinal side members which'are straight in p'lan vii-'- of the frame and ,curved in side elevation.-

' ,and cross members of :lifierentlengths rigidly conmctixig the side msmbers and hold- In testixinon vhembf Idffix my sigmhxre ing the same in forwardly convergent relain presence 0 twowitnesses. men, and springs for supportmg the rear v '1 ends of sakfi side members directly connected GLKVEDR BARTI-ml" thereto and extending 'lnngritudinallythereof Witnesses: w

'm the longitudinal vertical planun'f said KARL H. BUTLER, v members. GENEVIEVE E, MCGRANN. 

